British Columbia Comments

The Okanagan is the most beautiful place I've been to on the planet. Crystal clear lakes perfect for swimming in the hot summer days and spectacular desert and mountain scenery. It is too often passed up for the tourist traps of the rockies, but make sure to include at least a few days here, and Penticton is the best place to see it from. The drives south to Osoyoos and north to Kelowna are both truly spectacular.

I lived in Squamish for almost a year and loved it! The climbing is amazing, the people are friendly! Also, for great food and drinks, check out the Brew Pub!

Fernie is simply a great place to get away from all of the garbage. The town has a wicked ora to it and is very laid back, great mountain biking and hiking. Both Same Sun and the Raging Elk hostels rock and keep the town cool. Have fun... and I'm coming back.

Vancouver has got to be one of the best cities on earth. Too many people stop here for just a few days on the way to other places -- give yourself a little longer here and you won't want to leave. The best thing I did here was a speedboat trip up Indian Arm from Deep Cove on the North Shore -- get six other people interested and it works out at only $25 to $30 each including bus fare for three hours rental of a seven-man boat, plenty of time to get to the top and back with stops to look at stuff. Also make sure you climb up Grouse mountain, the views from the top are incredible and you can get a bus right to the bottom of the trail. It's quite a climb but I've seen everyone from five year old kids to grandparents climb up, and you can get the cable car back down for $5.

I am from Germany and I visited Nelson this year with my whole class for 2 months. It was the graetest time I ever had. Thank you. I really enjoyed the trip and love this small town. I live in Hamburg, that's a really big town, with 2 million people. So I hope I can visit Nelson again!!!

Kelowna is a great place -- the Okanagan has the most beautiful scenery of anywhere I've been in the world, crystal clear lakes perfect for swimming on hot summer days and amazing desert and mountain scenery. Too many people pass straight through on the way to places like Banff, but make sure to give yourself a few days here. One point -- the cops are very active in Kelowna, don't get caught with drinks on the street or they'll make you tip them away (or worse), and don't get too drunk or you could get picked up on the way home and spend a night in the cells/drunk tank like I did (which wasn't really that bad in my case as it was better accommodation than where I was staying -- a motel room shared among eight people).

Squilax … If you have children, this is a great place for an overnight stay. Kids love sleeping in the caboose and the llamas are a hit. But it is lovely to be by the river and take a canoe ride up to the beaver dam (canoes can be borrowed but watch the current). We saw a beaver splash its tail at sunset! At night it is fun to watch the bats swooping down eating all the mosquitoes. This area is known for its concentration of bats. Very interesting!

Radium Hot Springs … If you have a car, check out Lussier Hot Springs, about an hour from Radium. It's free, rustic, remote, natural, and you can soak under the stars with the beverage of your choice. And it's clothing optional at night.

Vernon … Check out the lakes (they are in all directions) and be sure to try the Japanese resteraunt (just two blocks from the Lodged in Hostel) the sushi rocks! For the morning after there is a juice bar near Safeway. Cheers!

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